This invention relates to a process for operating a reactor for the gasification of hydrocarbons with oxygen and water vapor under a pressure of about 3-100 kilograms per square centimeter and at temperatures between about 1000.degree. and 1500.degree.C. to produce a product gas which contains mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide. In the process, the hydrocarbons are sprayed under pressure through a burner into the reactor.
Gasifying processes of this kind are known, e.g., from Opened German Application Nos. 1,667,628 and 2,117,236. Because the plants for carrying out these processes operate under rather extreme temperature and pressure conditions, troubles often occur. In such case, the gasification must be interrupted so that the defect can be found and corrected. If the defect is not within the reactor and can be corrected within a relatively short time, it is desirable for economic operations that the temperature in the reactor does not drop too much from the operating temperature. In known gasifying plants, the burner used in normal operation is removed for this purpose or at least the lance of the burner is removed because the lance is designed to conduct hydrocarbons at a high rate during normal gasifying operations. A special holding burner is then installed, which is fed with air and a special fuel gas to hold the reactor at the required temperature, e.g., not below 900.degree. C.
The known process of altering the burner involves additional costs so that the correction of a defect is rendered more expensive.